Friday, August 1, 2014

Sheep Herding Reflections

Any dog can enjoy, and be good at, a variety of things, and
every dog has the potential to be a wonderful companion, but truth is that a
pooch with a pedigree, selectively bred for specific characteristics, can have strong drives that require an outlet, and I strongly believe that it is the person's duty to provide it.

Bowie doesn’t have a pedigree, but we’re pretty sure that he
is a Border collie. He looks like one, behaves like one, and his previous owner
said that he is one. True to what I preach, since March, when we got Bowie, I couldn’t wait
to get him evaluated on sheep. It finally happened last Sunday.

I only attended a herding event once before with our Australian
shepherd Davie, and that was almost a decade ago, but it gave me an idea how
things would likely unfold. I presumed that herding instructors, like everyone else, put their own spin on things, and I know that
herding is not willy-nilly chasing sheep but very controlled work, but I still anticipated that the emphasis would be on the dog’s keenness more than his obedience, since it was
an instinct test, not a herding clinic.

I expected that the dog would in a
confined area with a few sheep, on the long line just in case, encouraged a bit
if need be, but by and large not interfered with unless the welfare of the
sheep was in jeopardy.

That was not quite what happened. The sheep, confined space
and long line did, but our instructor put much more weight on the relationship
between the dog and handler, and the control the handler had over the dog, than
I thought. Luckily, we were prepared.

Right from the start I
realized that being outside with the disc is Bowie's highlight of the day. In other
words, he is highly motivated to access it, and has such focus that he seems
unaware of anything else around him.

Initially I was playing with the idea to aim for competition, but who was I kidding: Whether it is humans
or dogs, on an individual and collective level I couldn’t care less who is
fasted, can throw farthest, or scores highest. I respect people whose goal that
is, but I’m just not into that.

However, I am into a dog who takes his cues from me, and I
thought I could, perhaps, use Bowie’s drive to teach behaviors that are
valuable in day-to-day life: principally impulse control when aroused and around
moving things, and staying receptive to my cues when his visual attention is elsewhere,
and on something he wants to get to. I don’t expect a dog to always watch me.
That is unrealistic. My dogs are allowed to discover the environment they live
in, but I want them to stay mentally connected to me.

In lieu of sheep, I used the disc to teach Bowie: wait till I release you to get it, easy walk up and wait,
left and right, back up, drop at my feet, and give into my hand.

Naturally, get it
is Bowie’s primary reward, but I feel that what we do that leads up to it
has reinforcement value as well. I feel the brain workout is necessary for his
wellbeing.

Even though we have 2-3 sessions almost every day, about 10
minutes each time, and have also begun to take the show to various other places
than our yard, I had no idea if what is well rehearsed with the disc would
actually work with the sheep. But it did. Mostly.

Each dog had two turns. When we entered the pen the first
time, Bowie noticed the three sheep, but then directed his interest to their
deposits, which I interpreted as displacement. Not unease, but being
uncertain what to make of the situation, unclear what he was supposed to do,
buying time until he had more information – a cue he understood. I thought
displacement rather than an urge to consume the poop because Bowie had had
ample opportunity to munch prior to us entering the pen, and he showed no
desire, didn’t even sniff it. Anyway, after I told him to leave it he refocused on the
sheep, and because he listened nicely to me, we got the go ahead and he was allowed to chase
them bit.

One sheep in the first, and another in the second group, was
nervous of Bowie without him doing a whole lot, and I found that interesting
because I occasionally observe the same with some dogs who, presented with
Bowie’s presence, evade or become defensively standoffish. Plus, our Will was
never as relaxed around stranger dogs since she was a year old, before our Newf
Baywolf died, and she is almost 13 now. So there is something about him, not
plain to humans, that less self-assured animals pick up - which tells you that if
you want to know what’s going on with your dog don’t only watch your dog, but
also the behavior of the animals in his close proximity.

There were a couple of hours between round one and two, and Bowie was under pressure. He wanted to get back in pen,
barked a few times in frustration – Bowie rarely barks and if only to announce someone at
the door or briefly with excitement when Mike or I return home - settled when
prompted, but kept his eyes on the sheep the whole time, ignoring the commotion
around him absolutely. To reduce the pressure, we removed him from the
situation and took a couple of walks on the property.

Before we entered the pen again, the instructor told me to
be definitive with my dog, and I appreciated the reminder. I am all for a dog understanding that when it matters there isn’t a choice. My definitive
does not mean: “Do as told or it’ll hurt”, or “No choice and I don't care if you're scared” but: “You must do this to get that”, and I was determined to
convey that to Bowie very clearly.

This time, Bowie knew what we were doing and there was no
hesitation or displacement behavior. He wanted the sheep a lot more,
and I was more definitive, and I think in combination it created more pressure.
A couple of times we pushed the boundary, Bowie signaling it with a shake-off after
the difficult moment had passed. Like barking, I rarely see Bowie shake off
other than when his coat is waterlogged. But there were no signs of real
distress – no avoidance, no trying to get away from me or out of the pen, and
we continued for about 6 minutes with a repetitive walking up, waiting, releasing
and calling him off again. At the very end, the instructor asked me to be with
the sheep and leave Bowie in position, wait,
about 6 feet away, and after that we got a “that’ll do” and were done.

That last moment was
the only part I disagreed with. It was difficult for Bowie to stay while I was
with the sheep, but he did, and there was no reinforcement as consequence. Instead
of being allowed on the sheep, we walked away and out of the pen.

The following day I had indication that there might have been, indeed, too much pressure, or rather not enough reinforcement in relation to the
pressure: Bowie was less willing to wait when we worked with the disc. He still
obeyed, but I sensed that the cooperative closeness, the teamwork was missing.
That’s not what I want. I don’t want obedience at the cost of the relationship.
I want my dog to want to work with me, and to regain his trust I really lowered
my criteria that day, asked him to wait less often and only very briefly.

By day two things were back to normal.

What’s next? Bowie and I are headed for PEI later this month
to take lessons with Lorna McMaster, author of “Dancing with Sheepdogs”. I am
pumped, and quite possibly as motivated as Bowie.

5 comments:

Interesting post Silvia. Must be exciting to be able to work a dog for the purpose they were designed. You mentioned "pressure" several times in the post and I was wondering if you could explain "pressure" a bit more. I suspect you might be talkng about stress, but it sounds like it could be good stress boarding on bad stress? I'm not quite sure.

Yes Marjorie, pretty much stress but not the kind that has a detrimental, long-term fallout. Stress can increase the bond between dog and owner, when they master a challenging situation together. The challenge for Bowie was self-restraint, and as said, at times I felt we were close to the limit, but didn't surpass it.

Pressure can happen even if the dog is trained and treated with positive reinforcement. For example a dog who wants to access the treat, but doesn't know how and doesn't have enough information. It can create frustration and frustration outbursts sometimes seen with shaping when the person sets criteria too high. You can also see dogs sometimes getting discouraged. So, it's a fine line to challenge a dog, and asking too much.

This was really great to see the two of you work so closely together. You could see the trust and the strong bond between the two of you. You could also see that Bowie knew what to do and use his instincts. You both rocked it off the map. It will be great to see how it goes next time.

Find out more about me and my services at: silvia4dogs.com

I am a dog behavior consultant and published writer with more than 15 years experience, and since 2007, almost exclusively focus on private, in-home consultation.
My mission is to mainstream pain and force free handling, training, and dealing with behavioral problems, because almost all problem behaviors are rooted in pressure, fear and anxieties that are created or perpetuated by people.
It is the ethical thing to do, and it is effective. When the dog feels better, s/he will behave better.
In my spare time I am working on a couple of books. Until then, blog posts will have to do.
Find out more about me and my services at: www.silvia4dogs.com